Afghan security forces inspect the damage of a minibus that was hit in a suicide attack in Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, June 20, 2016. Photo: Reuters

KATHMANDU/KABUL: A Taliban suicide bomber killed 14 Nepali security guards in an attack Monday on their minibus in the Afghan capital, Kabul, the Interior Ministry and an Afghan security official said.

The Nepalis were on their way to the Canadian Embassy where they work as guards, according to another Nepali guard who was wounded in the attack.

The attack was the latest by the Taliban, who have stepped up assaults, including in the Afghan capital, as part of their summer offensive. The insurgent attacks frequently target government employees and Afghan security forces across the country.

The bomber was on foot when he struck the minibus, said Gen. Abdul Rahman Rahimi, the Kabul police chief. The minibus belonged to the employees of an unnamed foreign security company, he said.

An Interior Ministry statement confirmed that all 14 killed were Nepali citizens, describing the attack as the work of a “terrorist suicide bomber.” It said the explosion also wounded nine people, five Nepali employees and four Afghan civilians.

Amrit Rokaya Chhetri, a Nepali who was wounded in the attack, told The Associated Press they were on their way to the Canadian Embassy when the blast took place.

“Many people died,” Chhetri said from his hospital bed, his head covered with a white bandage. “I say to my family, I am ok and I will come home.”

Abdullah Abdullah, the country’s chief executive officer, condemned the attack in a posting on Twitter, saying: “This attack is an act of terror and intimidation.”

I condemn the terrorist attack on those traveling to their work places in Kabul this morning.This attack is an act of terror & intimidation.